Connacht Tribune
Technology can help to cut fatal accidents
The safety features of the vehicles have had the biggest impact on road mortality – and expanding on that could prevent even more deaths in the future.
That’s what Fianna Fáil Deputy Eamon Ó Cúiv told the Dáil recently, as he pointed to the positive effect of crumple zones, seat belts and airbags – all of which have meant that people survive accidents they would not have survived 30 or 40 years ago.
Speaking during a debate on the new Road Traffic Bill, which imposes a mandatory disqualification to drivers found to be over the legal alcohol limit, he said it was very important to examine the possibilities for reducing accidents using technology in cars.
“There are two very obvious changes which could be introduced,” he said.
“The first is that a device could be built into every car which would prevent ignition if the driver was over the legal blood-alcohol limit. That could be mandatory for all new cars.
“It might add a little bit to the cost of a car but it would reduce the insurance considerably.
“The second measure would be to link a governor in a car to a GPS system, as is done with trucks. This system would have all the speed limits in the country recorded within it. This would make it impossible for a car to exceed the speed limit,” he added.
A car should not be able to move off unless all the people sitting in it are wearing seat belts, he said.
“I have personal reason to appreciate the importance of seat belts,” he said.
“I was in a car which was involved in a serious head-on collision. I have no doubt that the technical knowledge, experience and training of the driver saved our lives.
“He did something which not many lesser trained drivers would have. This particular driver was top of the range. When the car went straight for him, he took it on the nose. I queried him afterwards and he said that he was trained to do so because cars are designed to crumple from the front,” he told the House.
The former Minister pointed out that if a person in his part of the county lost their licence – as opposed to a person in the city – they would face significantly greater problems in their daily lives.
“He or she would have to pay to be driven to and from work and for their children to be driven to and from school because the Government has cut the school transport system and if ten children do not live on the road on which one travels to school, a bus will not be provided,” he said.
“Many schools in rural Ireland have no school bus service. A driving ban would make day-to-day life impossible for such a person in terms of work and ferrying his or her children to all the events that children must attend. The Minister should start doing the sums.”
Fianna Fáil believes the Minister should accept the compromise they had suggested, which is that five penalty points should be given to a person with an alcohol level of between 50 mg and 80 mg per 100 ml.
“A person with seven penalty points would be disqualified on receiving such a sanction,” he said. “Habitually risk-taking drivers would be disqualified.”
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
